Recipes 15 Weeknight Dinners to Make in 30 Minutes or Less By Food & Wine Editors Published on February 27, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis With these recipes for quick dinners that can be made in 30 minutes or less, you'll redefine fast food at home. Don't get us wrong, cooking an elaborate meal is great, but on most nights, cooking a fast, delicious meal is just as impressive. To help you make a great meal in no time, we have compiled some of the best quick weeknight dinners, from Easy Chicken Fajitas to Honey-Mustard-Glazed Salmon Steaks. Read on for recipes that will help you get dinner on the table in minutes. 01 of 15 One-Pot White Wine Pasta with Mushrooms and Leeks Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland This creamy, savory one-pot pasta dish comes together without the need to boil the pasta separately. Savory sautéed mushrooms and gently sweet leeks combine with cream, lemon juice, and white wine to create the rich sauce. Feel free to switch up the flavor by adding tarragon instead of dill. Get the Recipe 02 of 15 Orzo and Chickpeas with Turmeric-Ginger Broth Victor Protasio Coconut milk and fresh lime juice are natural flavor partners to ginger and turmeric; here they come together to form a restorative tea-based broth that’s delicious studded with chickpeas and pasta. Get the Recipe 03 of 15 Spicy Sausage Pasta with Tomatoes and Squash Photo by David Malosh / Prop Styling by Amy Wilson / Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Added thinly sliced squash just minutes before serving means it melts into the pasta without losing its shape and texture. Use a mandoline to achieve extra-thin slices Get the Recipe 04 of 15 Pork Chops with Sherry Pan Sauce and Ras Al Hanout Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Dry sherry lends an oxidized, nutty complexity to this pan sauce. Sweetened with fresh orange juice and dried fruit, it's perfect with pork chops or seared duck breasts. The technique here relies on rendering fat from the meat, setting it aside, and using that fat to bloom beautifully complex ras al hanout in the pan, before deglazing it with sherry to incorporate every bit of flavor into the final sauce. Get the Recipe 05 of 15 Chicken Tortellini Soup with Kale Caitlin Bensel Frozen cheese tortellini only need a five-minute dip in the simmering broth to cook up perfectly. Don’t be tempted to just dump the whole can of tomatoes into the pot; draining them first concentrates the flavor. Get the Recipe 06 of 15 Grilled Cheese with Corn and Calabrian Chile Photo by Tara Donne / Food Styling by Chris Lanier / Prop Styling by Raina Kattelson Chef Nancy Silverton's upgraded grilled cheese is filled with a charred sweet corn-studded blend of nutty English cheddar, sharp caciocavallo, and just enough mayonnaise to bind it all together. Thick slices of sourdough get a beautifully buttery, golden crust in a cast iron skillet, while Calabrian chile sneaks in with just the right amount of heat. Get the Recipe 07 of 15 Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard © Greg DuPree In matching spicy sausage with a creamy mustard sauce and fragrant basil, British cookbook author Nigel Slater created a quick pasta supper with warm, mildly spicy flavors. It's perfect for a cool fall or winter evening. Get the Recipe 08 of 15 Patty Melts with Charred Scallion-Chipotle Mayo Photo by David Malosh / Prop Styling by Amy Wilson / Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Classic versions of the patty melt often include caramelized onions, but those take time, so here cookbook author Molly Stevens leans on quick-charred scallions instead. Chipotle-spiked mayonnaise adds an extra dose of lushness and a punch of smoky heat. For the cheese, semi-soft cheeses like Oaxaca or Monterey Jack add a satisfying tang, but any good melting cheese works — Cheddar or Swiss are perfectly delicious stand-ins. Get the Recipe 09 of 15 Broccoli and Potato Soup Photo by Adam Friedlander / Food Styling by Pearl Jones The bright green broccoli florets floating on top of this hearty soup make it especially eye-catching, but it's the broccoli stems that do the real work. They're cooked with the potatoes and then pureed to form a creamy base. A final sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese gives the soup an extra savory touch. Get the Recipe 10 of 15 Spring Onion and Salami Sheet-Pan Pizza Greg DuPree When making sheet-pan pizza, bring the dough to room temperature before shaping it. This ensures the gluten is relaxed and the dough doesn’t shrink away from the pan edges. Get the Recipe 11 of 15 Easy Chicken Fajitas William F. Dickey II Fajitas are a great option for a family or large group of friends. Set up the components on a buffet, so everyone can pick and choose the toppings they want. If you like, feel free to swap in pork loin for the chicken. Get the Recipe 12 of 15 Filipino New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman Classic New Orleans barbecue shrimp are not grilled or barbecued, but sauteed in a spiced butter sauce. This version comes from Filipino Cajun chef Cristina Quakenbush, who remains true to the dish’s origins by using Abita Beer and Creole seasoning, and gives it a twist by adding soy sauce, calamansi juice, ginger, and banana ketchup. 13 of 15 Honey-Mustard-Glazed Salmon Steaks Any time a novice cook asks Jamie Bissonnette for a simple recipe, he gives them this soy-honey-mustard sauce. It’s delicious on the salmon here, but he also recommends spreading it on chicken wings or pork chops before grilling them. Get the Recipe 14 of 15 Wild Mushroom and Red Wine Risotto © Frances Janisch The creamy, red wine-tinged rice gets adorned with mixed wild mushrooms and shallot sautéed in butter. Freshly grated Parmesan brings even more umami goodness to the dish. Get the Recipe 15 of 15 Pasta Carbonara © Madeleine Hill This easy classic pasta dish comes together in less than 30 minutes and is a comforting meal any time. The chewy rigatoni stands up perfectly to this supremely rich and flavorful sauce. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit